DH: My name is Donna Haimes and I'm a Canadian citizen living in England for the last s six years. I'm 60 years old.

BR: Can you give us a bit of insight into why you started the blood type diet?

DH: Mr. L. Stonfield, a Canadian doctor, put me on a partial type B diet due to allergies, food intolerances and irritable bowel problems as I ended up with Crohn's disease.

BR: Are there any diseases that tend to run in your family?

DH: Heart, diabetes, stomach cancer and arthritis.

BR: How did you find out about the blood type diet? Was it through friends, colleagues, health practitioner, or other?

DH: A medical doctor, psychiatrist in Canada who practiced environmental medicine and friends who had a book called Eat Right 4 Your Type.

BR: How did you get started? Was it gradually, or did you opt for the cold-turkey-version?

DH: Canadian doctor put me on a partial diet but there wasn't that much I could eat due to allergy testing which was done at the same time so didn't have a full list of what a B type could eat so gave up following the B type diet until I moved to England and met Tom Greenfield, a naturopath and cranio-sacral therapist, who convinced me to try again with a complete list of what a B type could eat. I followed the diet except I left chicken in my diet. I was gaining weight. A few months ago when I saw Tom again he told me about the new book out called Live Right 4 Your Type which deals with secretors and non-secretors. I then read the book and started the B type diet for non-secretors and took out chicken also. I first started the diet 10 years ago in Canada but I've only been following the non-secretor B type for less than six months.

BR: How long did it take to notice change in your body (mentally and physically!)

What kind of changes did you experience?

DH: Noticed changes right away. I no longer felt bloated and no longer had stomach pains. The only foods I'd taken out of my diet were chicken, wheat and potatoes. I also found that I no longer needed to take the plant digestive enzymes that I've been taking for ten years. About a month after being on the diet the arthritis stiffness is decreasing and continued. Plus after being on the diet for two months I lost 20 pounds.

BR: Was it easy to get started? Or difficult? What was your main purpose to get started?

Health problems like losing weight, or what?

DH: Yes it was easy to start the diet because I knew that from first trying the B type diet it was working for me but felt there was still something missing and when I started the non-secretor diet and that was like finding the secret to better health plus I wanted to lose the weight I'd gained.

BR: Your family, how did they react to your following the diet?

DH: They've accepted but think it's strange and as long as I don't force on them they are OK with it. My husband has just had the testing done and when he gets the results will also be going on the diet that suits him.

BR: How many blood types are there in your family? How do you manage?

DH: I'm a B non-secretor and my husband is an A and is waiting for results of testing on whether he's a secretor or non-secretor.

BR: Is Eating Right 4 Your Type easy or difficult when you are at work, at a restaurant?

On the road?

DH: I don't work and the diet is easy for me to follow at home but eating out can sometimes be a problem.

BR: Looking at your diet: what was easy to integrate into your basic diet, what still gives you problems?

DH: I enjoy most foods, so didn't have a problem with the diet but miss eating chicken, bread and potatoes.

BR: Do you get support from your Medical Doctor? Could you convince him/her of the positive impact of the blood type diet on your health?

DH: No! No! They are in the dark ages here!

BR: What kind of medication did you take for overcoming your health problems? And how is your medication-intake after having started the blood type diet?

DH: None except homeopathic remedies and I don't need to take the plant digestive enzymes now.

BR: The country, city, village you live in: Is it a problem or not to find the organic foods you need?

DH: No, in England the normal supermarkets have organic fresh foods and other products.

BR: Are there any other experiences you had following this way-of-life, you want to share with us?

DH: If I follow the diet I no longer have any bowel problems. I've tried many different diets and was a vegetarian for about a year and went on a gluten-free diet for two years and that helped with the Crohn's disease. I no longer have problems with that disease but if I try any brown whole wheat bread even once I have the bowel symptoms returning.

BR: Donna, thank you very much for this 'enlightening' interview, as I read about the Dark Ages still prevailing in the UK?! So good for you and others to have found Tom Greenfield to assist you!

Also for you as a B non-secretor wheat is the 'bad guy'! Wheat THE grain subjected to modification to nourish the world and see what happens! Wish you and your husband all the health possible!!